It is known in the prior art to provide an electronic camera which uses an area image sensor. Digital images produced from the image sensor are stored in memory and these images can be shown on a display so that the user can determine which image should be stored for use in producing hard copy images. Typically, these images can be stored in a magnetic disk or a compact memory card.
A shortcoming with prior electronic cameras is that the printer is spaced from the camera and must be electrically coupled to digital storage structure within the camera. Such printers are expensive in that the image must be transmitted and stored within a printer. The printer and the camera must contain transmission means and a transmission protocol. Transmission means within the camera increase camera size and cost.
Document scanners that print simultaneously with scanning have been disclosed in prior art. One difficulty in such systems is that an image must be mirrored in the copying process. U.S. Pat. No. 4,839,741 discloses a belt that translates to move a scanning device simultaneous with motion of an ink jet cartridge in an opposite direction using a common belt. The image is mirrored by the counter directional motion of the printhead and scanhead. This process requires incrementally advances of the document on each print/scan cycle.
A portion of U.S. Pat. No. 5,047,870 discloses a photocopy machine that translates a scan/print head in two dimensions to copy a stationary document. As the head moves, a thermal paper is moved with the motion of the scanning head across the source document to create a mirror image. U.S. Pat. No. 5,049,999 does not translate the scanning head in two directions, instead, a source and copy sheet moves in opposite directions to form a non-mirrored image.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,070,410 discloses a common substrate supporting both scanning and ink jet printhead. U.S. Pat. No. 5,070,410 also discloses the use of a plurality of elements sensitive to different wavelengths of light and associated inks that permit for color imaging using such scan means. Furthermore, U.S. Pat. No. 5,070,410 also disclose the use of the apparatus to provide hard copy for unmirrored illuminated slides.